The Coalition to Close the De Minimis Loophole launched today, representing thousands of voices, from the families of victims of fentanyl fatalities and nonprofit and nonpartisan organizations to labor unions, domestic law enforcement associations, domestic manufacturers, and business associations.
The roughly 485 million packages that come into the U.S. duty free via the de minimis loophole is “overwhelming” and that volume “makes it harder for us to police products for consumer safety,” James Joholske, director of the office of import surveillance at the U.S. Consumer Product and Safety Commission (CPSC) told the U.S. China Economic and Security Review Commission on March 1
Homeland Security and U.S. Customs face a daunting task in policing the millions of packages full of textile fabrics and apparel that come into the country duty free. They know it. What can be done about it, is the question.
The Biden administration must take swift action to close this loophole, it should issue nationwide withhold release order on all Chinese textiles, and Congress should pass legislation immediately.
A Customs investigation prompted by the Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturers Association (KCMA) suggests Southeast Asian exporters of kitchen and bath cabinetry and vanities are picking up where the mainland Chinese left off.
Customs and Border Protection are struggling to inspect nearly a billion small parcels bombarding the U.S. by international mail. Are they really up to this impossible task?